Harvest Table

It's that time of year again when the breeze has a bit of coolness, the days are a bit shorter, and we get to bring our sweaters out of storage. Particularly in DC where the summers can be so hot and sticky, the first breezes of fall feel particularly great.

 

This past weekend we visited Butler's Orchard in Maryland.  We had a fabulous time - we picked raspberries and apples and visited the farm store. We ended up with quite a few goodies, including local farm-grown produce (the first real vine-ripened authentic tomatoes I've found all summer!), preserves, and other cute odds and ends.

 

Here is our Harvest Table.  Everything here came from Butler Orchard - squash, mini-pumpkins, and lots of freshly picked apples!

Pillow

The penultimate piece of Baby Miles' gift basket - the chevron pillow!  This was made entirely out of half-square triangles that were left-over from the quilt. 

 

 I made one of these for Aileen's nursery (which can be seen here), and it has been so useful.  When she was tiny, I would use it to lay on the floor with her while we played or read books, or put it under my arm when I was nursing her, and now, she sometimes sits on it like a cushion on the floor for story time of even uses it as a regular pillow to relax and lounge.

The back is just a simple overlapping envelope type closure - really could not be easier, and is convenient for whipping it off and into the wash.

Burp Cloths

After a little break, here are the burp cloths that were part of Baby Miles' gift basket.  I just took super absorbent, microfiber towels that I got on sale and added bits of flannel for accents.  They were so easy, and, hopefully, useful!

 

One thing I learned when Aileen was tiny was that you can never have too many burp cloths.  In every room of the house.  And yet, it seemed like I was always caught without one - racing around trying to find one before the spit-up soaked into my clothes or the furniture!

 

 

Turtle

To complete the gift basket for Baby Miles, we figured he needed something to tie into his Galapagos themed nursery.  What better than a tiny turtle?  (Well...maybe a giant tortoise, but I wasn't sure a huge stuffed animal would be as appreciated as a cute little one!) 

 

 

 

I found a pattern over at Make-It & Love-It, a site with which I am now obsessed! 

 

This little guy was really easy to make.  In fact, easy enough for a one-and-a-half year old to help make.  Or maybe she just liked goofing around while talking about Baby Miles.

 

I think we may have to make a few more of these guys.  You could add a rattle to the stuffing to make it even more interesting for baby.

 

Watch out!  I think he's getting away!

Blanket for Baby Miles

I've wanted to try my hand at a banky for a while - basically a quilt with no batting.  And, since, overstuffed things are not really great for tiny babies, I figured Baby Miles would be a great guinea pig for my sewing experiment!

 

This was part of the gift basket of coordinated handmade baby items, posted here.

 

 

I definitely liked the way it turned out, how soft it was, and the thinness without any batting.  I left it un-quilted because I thought it could be stuffed (sort of like a baby duvet cover) later.  But, I'm not sure if I would do that again.  I am worried it may cause it to be un-square after washing. 

Aileen was interested - both in the blankey and in Baby Miles.  She has been talking about him non-stop since we met him six weeks ago! 

 

Lentil Finger Food Patties

I am constantly looking for healthy home-made food to add to Aileen's lunchbox.  Our requirements are that they be tasty and appetizing without being warmed up, low in sugar and salt, high in protein and carbs to power a tiny body all day, and able to be eaten as finger food. 

I have done some experimenting with lentil patties.  You can substitute any spice and flavor profile in, and keep your tiny person's pallet expanding. Here is one option for an Indian-inspired curry/potato lentil patty.

- 1T olive oil or vegetable oil
-1/4 c diced carrots
- 2T diced onion
- 2T Homemade curry powder (mix of tumeric, cardamom, corriander, cumin, paprika)
- 1c red lentils
- 1c vegetable broth
- 1c water
-  2 small potatoes, roasted and diced
- 1 egg

- Saute carrots and onion in a little oil over medium heat, just to start softening a little.  Remember these will be subjected to boiling with the lentils and later cooking in the oven, so no need to overdo the sauteeing, just get them started cooking.
- Add curry powder - or alternative seasoning based on your baby's preferences.  Cook into the vegetables until fragrant.
- Stir in lentils to coat with seasonings.  (Note, you can substitute in beans, split peas, or other kinds of lentils.)
- Add vegetable broth and water.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook according to directions, usually 15 minutes.
- When cooked, remove from heat.
- Mix in diced, roasted potatoes, and egg (when mixture is cool, so you don't scramble the eggs).
- Divide into portions like tiny sliders and cook at 400 degrees until set, about 15 minutes.

Basket for Baby Miles

In order to help welcome handsome Baby Miles to the world, we put together a basket of handmade baby gifts.  I will post more about each item.  But, the inspiration was Miles's Galapagos-themed nursery and the so soft and wonderful Robert Kauffman "Cozy Cotton" collection in aqua blues and browns. 

 

 

I used mainly the Robert Kaufman Cozy Cotton flannels, with some supplemental flannel and regular cotton fabric.  And, for those who know Elle, I had to add at least a little blue batik! 

 

 

The basket included

- One very puffy baby quilt

- One pieced "blanky" with no batting

- A square chevron pillow

- Four embellished burp cloths

- A little stuffed turtle

- One lined storage bin

 

I think it turned out well, and it was fun to do so many different things with one consistent line of fabrics.  And, of course, we wanted to do something for Elle.  Without her, our nursery probably would never have come together!  And, of course Elle made two amazing quilts for Aileen! (One full-size, and one from the scraps!)

 

Aileen helped me make the turtle, and in the end, I think she was unconvinced that we should give it away!  We may have to practice making a few more!